The mastermind behind this incident was actually not Celestria or the countries led by it, but a nation that even surprised Julian. Celestria: 'See, I told you it wasn't me.' It wasn’t that they didn’t want to do it, but rather that it was extremely difficult to plant spies in Research Academy's Lab No. 1. Before the incident, they were still trying to figure out how to infiltrate it. The country that carried out this act was Drakoria’s strongest ally—Volkaria. The theft of the latest Pokémon egg incubation fluid from the laboratory was done by Volkaria. As a neighboring country of Drakoria, the two shared a common enemy: Celestria. Moreover, Volkaria held a deep grudge against Celestria. If it wasn’t for the schemes of Celestria, one of their Champions and a peak Pseudo-Champion would not have died. The death of that one Champion caused the number of Champions in Volkaria to drop from five to four. And their overall strength had taken a significant hit. This led to a sharp decline in the national power of Volkaria, which had once rivaled that of Celestria. Losing a Champion—how could the grudge not be immense? At the same time, Drakoria also had tense relations with Celestria. And since Drakoria and Volkaria were neighbors with no major conflicts of interest, the saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" brought them together as allies. Drakoria was more than happy to have such a powerful ally. Even after losing a Champion, Volkaria still had four, making its Champion count second only to Drakoria and Celestria. It was the world’s third-strongest country. Back then, Drakoria and Celestria were roughly equal in overall power, but Drakoria had one more Champion, giving it a slight overall advantage. Volkaria had been an ally of Drakoria for decades. The two countries had generally gotten along well, with occasional conflicts of interest, but nothing beyond normal. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 Volkaria’s guiding principle was simple: never let Celestria have an easy time. On the international stage, no matter what Celestria wanted to do—whether right or wrong—Volkaria would oppose it. If opposition failed, they would resort to sabotage it in secret. As long as Celestria was unhappy, Volkaria was happy. After forming an alliance with Drakoria, Volkaria gained a powerful ally, and in return, Drakoria also benefited from this partnership. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement. If there were no advantages, why form an alliance? Wouldn’t it be better to go it alone? However, as Drakoria developed, Volkaria’s attitude as an ally gradually began to shift. Drakoria first turned Wyvernia into its own backyard, gaining control over the Secret Realms and Ruins within its borders. In the matter of Wyvernia, Volkaria had also contributed some effort, so afterward, Drakoria granted them a share of benefits. But compared to what Drakoria gained, Volkaria’s share was naturally much smaller. Still, Volkaria didn’t complain—after all, it hadn’t contributed much in the first place, so receiving benefits at all was already good enough. However, once Julian became a Champion, Drakoria gained its seventh Champion—a 22-year-old Champion, no less—the situation shifted dramatically. With seven Champions, Drakoria firmly surpassed Celestria and became the undisputed hegemon of the planet. Moreover, Drakoria discovered a Technological Ruin containing technology decades ahead of its time. Once this technology was integrated, the nation's technological capabilities would skyrocket, potentially cementing its status as the global hegemon. Every other nation would have to tread carefully in its dealings with Drakoria. But what did 'alliance' really mean? To be allies, the gap in strength between two sides couldn’t be too large. If the power gap was too big, then it wasn’t an alliance—it was subordination. Pannar: 'You’re talking about me, aren’t you.' Drakoria's trainer strength had not only completely overtaken Celestria but had also far exceeded that of Volkaria—boasting three more Champions than them. As Drakoria continued to research and develop the technology from that Ruin, its scientific and technological level would also steadily advance. Within a few decades, Drakoria could become the most powerful nation in the world. And how terrifying would Julian's power be after several more decades of growth? Would Drakoria even need allies at that point? Clearly, by then, an ally like Volkaria would be insignificant. What Drakoria would need then were resources and territory. And among its neighboring countries, Volkaria possessed the most abundant resources and the largest landmass. For a nation to keep growing stronger, beyond internal development, it also needed to plunder from others. Between nations, there was no eternal friendship—only interests. If you blocked my development, then we were no longer friends. Drakoria’s overwhelming power placed immense pressure on its ally, Volkaria. Even if Drakoria was to act sentimentally and not move against Volkaria in the future, would you dare to gamble on that? As the saying goes, "Prepare for the worst before seeking victory." Placing your nation's future on the mercy of another country was, in itself, a grave mistake. It was at this time that a spy Volkaria had planted in Laboratory No. 1 of Drakoria reported a major breakthrough: the new incubation fluid was on the verge of being successfully developed. Volkaria: 'As Drakoria's strongest ally, isn't it normal for me to plant a few spies?' Drakoria: 'Yes, of course. After all, I've planted spies too. I just didn’t bother with them because I didn’t see anything worth taking.' Based on the spy's reports, Volkaria had some understanding of this new incubation fluid. It could, during the Pokémon egg stage, increase the probability of the newborn Pokémon being born with higher potential. In this world, the majority of Pokémon had Green-grade potential, with a growth ceiling at the pseudo-Elite peak. Pokémon with Cyan-grade potential were mostly in the hands of major families, and even among those families they were scarce—the same was true across other nations. For trainers from ordinary families, it was extremely difficult to obtain a Cyan-grade Pokémon. Raising a Green-grade Pokémon to Cyan required vast resources, far beyond what most trainers could afford. Although this new incubation fluid was significantly more expensive than those currently on the market, it offered a chance—however small—to break through the Green-grade barrier and achieve Cyan-grade potential. Even if the probability was as low as one in ten thousand, given the vast number of trainers, a mere 0.1% chance could result in tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Cyan-grade Pokémon. As the number of Elite–level trainers rose, the odds of Champions appearing in later generations would naturally increase as well. This incubation fluid could therefore strengthen a nation’s overall power—and might even accelerate the appearance of a new Champion. For Volkaria, they desperately hoped for another Champion to emerge. Of their four current Champions, one was already quite old. If he were to pass away, Volkaria—with only three Champions left—would hardly be considered a major power. And with their neighbor Drakoria possessing seven Champions, the contrast was stark. Before long, Drakoria might no longer view them as an ally, but as a plump, fat sheep ready for the taking. Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-